In a continuing effort to improve the quality of fresh market and shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine and peach seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as `Kay Pearl`. The present variety was developed by us in 1992 in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was a first generation cross using `Spring Bright` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,507) yellow flesh nectarine as the seed parent and an unnamed white flesh nectarine seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock, the standard of the industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The fruit produced by the present variety is most similar to the `Ruby Pearl` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,959), by producing white flesh nectarines that mature in late June, that are subacidic in flavor, and that are full red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by requiring less chilling, by blooming earlier, by having a large blossom instead of small, by having globose glands instead of reniform, and by producing fruit that is larger in size and freestone instead of clingstone.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, `Spring Bright` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,507) by producing very firm, full red nectarines that ripen the last week in June, but is very distingished therefrom by producing fruit that is white flesh instead of yellow flesh, that is freestone instead of clingstone, and that is subacidic in flavor instead of acidic.